Donald Trump is pushing for an expedited deposition of Rupert Murdoch amid his defamation lawsuit against the media mogul and The Wall Street Journal. In a recent federal court filing in Miami, Trump’s attorneys emphasized Murdoch’s advanced age of 94 and ongoing health concerns, arguing these factors may prevent him from appearing in person at trial.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month for $10 billion, centers on a Wall Street Journal report about a letter allegedly signed by Trump and included in a Jeffrey Epstein birthday album. Trump denies authoring the letter and has threatened legal action since the story’s publication. His legal team argues Murdoch holds critical information about the article’s creation and publication, giving him an advantage over Trump in the case. The Journal has stated confidence in its reporting and plans to vigorously defend the lawsuit. Murdoch has until August 4 to respond to the deposition request.